Articles | Volume 11, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2987-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2987-2026
Research article
 | 
14 Aug 2026
Research article |  | 14 Aug 2026

Controlling rigid-wing airborne wind energy systems during circular flight without exact path following

Duc H. Nguyen, Agustí Porta Ko, Tallak Tveide, Mark H. Lowenberg, and Espen Oland

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Cited articles

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Berra, A. and Fagiano, L.: An optimal reeling control strategy for pumping airborne wind energy systems without wind speed feedback, 2021 European Control Conference (ECC), Online, 29 June–2 July, https://doi.org/10.23919/ECC54610.2021.9655018, 2021. 
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Cobb, M. K., Barton, K., Fathy, H., and Vermillion, C.: Iterative Learning-Based Path Optimization for Repetitive Path Planning, With Application to 3-D Crosswind Flight of Airborne Wind Energy Systems, IEEE T. Contr. Syst. T., 28, 1447–1459, https://doi.org/10.1109/TCST.2019.2912345, 2020. 
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Short summary
A new flight control architecture for airborne wind energy systems is proposed for circular-pattern flight during the power production phase. The controller 'wraps' around a reference cylinder and thereby does not require exact path planning or waypoint-based navigation. This simple guidance method enables the controller to function with only proportional-integral regulators. Further extensions to the controller enable flying with near-constant angle of attack and multi-kite synchronisation.
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